


Curiosity

by xbluemist



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst, Awkwardness, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Getting Together, Hogwarts, M/M, Not Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Compliant, Oblivious, Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-14
Updated: 2018-05-14
Packaged: 2019-05-06 00:49:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,060
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14630562
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xbluemist/pseuds/xbluemist
Summary: Curiosity is the brightest flame in the darkness of the unknown.





	Curiosity

**Author's Note:**

> Many thanks to my beta, [BookofSpells](https://archiveofourown.org/users/BookofSpells/pseuds/BookofSpells)!

"Dammit, Al! When has your reflex gotten so good?"

Al smirked, watching Rose scrambling to her feet from where her own Jelly-Legs Curse had sent her sprawling on the floor.

"Practice makes perfect, it's just that simple," he said, dodging the spell she shot at him in retaliation.

Al always thought she didn't know how to bear a fail.

"U-huh. What distracted you this time, though?"

Al bit his lip, focusing his full attention back on the little duel they were supposed to be doing. Defence Against the Dark Arts class wasn't his favourite, admittedly, but he enjoyed the strain their teacher put on them in their fifth year. It was doing good things for his teenage mind and body, he had found.

"Something worthy of my attention," he said evasively, squinting as Rose's lips curved into a one-sided smirk. Her eyes darted over the room, no doubt attempting to locate said 'something'. She probably succeeded, because moments later her smirk turned into a barely concealed grin.

"What's so funny?" Al asked, feigning boredom, another well-aimed spell flying in the direction of his cousin.

"He's doing it again," she sing-sang, pirouetting as the spell flew by her. Knowing exactly who she meant, Al grimaced; his cousin had this often annoying skill to always get any information she wanted.

"Oh yeah?" he asked, his nonchalant voice a complete opposition to how his head turned almost on its own volition to catch the sight of Scorpius Malfoy's pale face. He seemed to be pointedly avoiding looking in Al's general direction.

"Hey, Al, focus!" Rose called, and a curse flew through Al's mind. In the next moment, he found himself flying through the air, hit by a spell. He hissed at the impact as he hit something and landed, quickly realising that the wooden floor it was not, as floors definitely were much more flat and didn't groan when you collapsed on them with the full weight of your body.

"Oh my god, sorry, Malfoy," Al apologized hastily, rolling off of Malfoy and scrambling to his feet, nearly tripping in the process. "It wasn't on purpose, I swear, it's just my cousin–uh, here."

Malfoy looked up at Al's offered hand. Al cursed inwardly, his fingers twitching nervously, and he deeply hoped that his face at least had the decency to not cover with a blush at the moment. Like Malfoy's did.

But, his eyes were really... grey? Blue? Bluish grey? Pale blue?

Uh.

"Uhm, don't worry about that, can happen easily in DADA class, after all," Malfoy mumbled, accepting Al's hand.

His hands were really quite slim...

"Yeah, definitely. Uhm." Was it just Al's mind or did Malfoy tried to look anywhere but at him?

"Ahem."

Al almost jumped, eyes flowing on an instinct to find the source of the sound. Only to discover that Malfoy's duel partner – Miles Parkinson – was giving him a very pointed look. The boy wasn't big or something but he had a tendency to look rather intimidating, Al must reluctantly admit, with his sharp features and dark eyes. Especially when he eyed Al like he was doing now, as though he was a wolf and Al had just intruded on his territory and made an unforgivable mess.

"Er, yeah... Bye," Al mumbled, already marching over to Rose, trying very hard not to cringe at the terrible awkwardness of the whole situation. He hoped no one paid them attention. The thought only served to make him realise that he himself didn't even _think_ about it moments before, his own attention focused solely on – ...

Damnit.

"What was that?" Al hissed at Rose. She was standing calmly at her spot and looked definitely all too pleased with herself for Al's liking, considering the embarrassment she just caused him. Al vaguely wished he could shoot glares as professionally as Parkinson.

"What? We _are_ in DADA class, aren't we? Pay attention, cousin dear."

From that point, Al set onto wiping that self-satisfactory smirk off her face, stubbornly banishing any thought of Scorpius Malfoy from his frantic mind.

He really needed to vent.

* * *

Hands stuffed deep in the pockets of his robe, Al's posture was somewhat stiff as he walked down the corridor to the Ravenclaw common room. He had never had anything against Miles Parkinson (not that he ever liked him either), and Parkinson himself was usually more like a non-existing part of the crowd for Al. But as he had been eating his dinner minutes before, he couldn't shake the feeling that those dark eyes were trying to pierce a hole in his head. Sure enough, when he risked a glance, he found that the other boy was eyeing him intently. He felt like snorting and shuddering simultaneously.

He wasn't sure what he had done to, apparently, put himself on Parkinson's blacklist, nothing was coming to his mind; except that one little incident in DADA class earlier that day.

It would make sense, though. Al had never paid Parkinson too much attention before, but he did know that the boy was something of a bodyguard for Malfoy. And as much as he didn't know Malfoy, he knew enough to be able to state that he wasn't the most Slytherin person he knew. Surprisingly enough, he seemed to rather be quite the opposite.

Al shook his head, scowling: but why did Parkinson consider him worthy of his dark attention? It's not like he had sent Malfoy toppling to the floor with him purposefully. He also never bothered either of the boys.

Al sighed. He needed to clear the situation. Whatever the problem was.

He just hoped he wouldn't regret it later.

* * *

"Hullo, dear cousin. I was wondering, how well do you know Parkinson?" A matter-of-fact tone in which Al asked the question when he found Hugo in a secluded corner of the library was probably a bit out of character for that kind of question, but Al had decided he wasn't going to beat around the bush. He only hoped Hugo would appreciate it enough.

"And why would that interest you?" Hugo's voice was that of cold curiosity as he continued to flip through a heavy book resting on the windowsill he was standing by. Judging by the content of the pages, it was another one of his "side interests that nobody curious actually wanted to know about".

"He seems to have gained some sort of... grudge against me recently."

To Al's surprise, Hugo let out a soft laugh.

"Well done, Al."

Al bristled.

"Oi, who said it was _my_ fault?"

"And who said it was?"

"No one," Al grumbled, scowling.

Hugo shook his head.

"Did you say something remotely inappropriate to him or do anything remotely offending towards him or his family?"

Al was almost irritated by the airiness of the question. But he frowned, trying hard to recall anything that would match the suggestion.

"No...? Nothing that I can think of, at least."

"Ah. Well, in that case, you must have done something of that sort to Malfoy."

Mouth already opening to protest, Al stopped.

"Uhm. There _happened_ to have been a little accident couple of days ago... in DADA class."

"There you go."

Al's frown deepened. It did make sense; but...

"But it wasn't something offending! It was a mere accident. We were practising duelling in pairs, I was with Rose and Malfoy with Parkinson happened to be near to us, and it just so happened that at some point, Rose hit me with a spell, I fell on him and... But I apologized! And Parkinson was there glaring at me as though I had done something worthy of hours of torturing." He shivered at the mere memory.

"I can only tell you, _cousin dear_ , that Parkinson is basically Malfoy's only friend and quite a possessive person at that. I haven't ever had an opportunity to get to know him any better than most of the Slytherins, but with the way he plays Malfoy's guard it is rather obvious that he doesn't want people getting in their way, so to speak. Apparently, he wasn't always like that. But I only know what I know."

"Oh." Well, wasn't that interesting.

* * *

"...and then I told him, 'shut up and lemme suck your dick'."

Al blinked.

"What?" He turned his head to Rose, giving her an incredulous look. As far as he knew her (which was far enough), words of that sort would never actually fall from her lips.

"Clearly you consider the back of Parkinson's head significantly more worthy of your attention seeing as you're choosing to contemplate _it_ over keeping the track of one of our key lessons in this semester."

Al scowled and was about to open his mouth to spill a hot protest, but Rose just let out a loud, exasperated sigh, waving her hand in his general direction and turning back to scribbling her notes.

Al, in turn, chose to focus as hard as he could on the lesson from that point on, taking exceptional care of noting down every single word of professor McGonagall's exceptionally long lecture that seemed important to him.

 

"So have you found out something... interesting about Parkinson?" Rose's causal voice reached Al's ears as they were eating dinner in the Great Hall an hour later.

Al looked up from his almost empty plate.

"Huh?"

Rose rolled her eyes and sent his plate a wry look.

"You never devour your food _that_ angrily, unless you're in a rush, or, something's really got to you. And seeing as you had been scrutinizing Parkinson so passionately during Transfiguration..." she trailed off, expectancy and innocence mixing in her blue eyes.

Al swallowed his mouthful, took a big gulp of his pumpkin juice, licked his lips carefully, and said, "I was actually trying to figure out if he and Malfoy are romantically, slash, sexually involved. Because there is quite a big chance that _that_ 's what has caused him to start showing signs of murder plans regarding me," in such matter-of-fact tone that Rose actually froze for a good ten seconds.

And then, the dumb look on her face morphed into a rather uncommon expression of bewilderment.

"Him. And Malfoy. Together?"

Al raised his eyebrows at the sneer in her tone. He shrugged.

"I don't know. But they might be."

Rose snorted.

"Really? I don't think Malfoy would keep giving you those lovey-dovey glances if that was the case. And besides, apparently, Parkinson's started having problems with you since you sent Malfoy tumbling to the floor with you in DADA class. Unless you just hadn't noticed it before."

"May I remind you that it was _you_ who caused that damned incident in the first place, and not me?" he growled, pointing an accusing finger at her.

"Yeah, yeah, I know, all the bad things are my fault."

" _That one_ definitely _was_ your fault. You did it on purpose! And I still don't understand why," Al demanded.

Rose shrugged.

"I was curious what would happen. Didn't expect _that_. But, Al, I may assure you, if Parkinson was just jealous of you, he would have... Well, he would have done something months ago. Seeing as Malfoy doesn't seem to care too much about subtlety. I mean, he could have just as well written "be my boyfriend, Albus Potter" on his forehead."

Al shook his head exasperatedly, a little something squirming uncomfortably in his stomach.

"I don't care about Malfoy, Rose. I just..." he shifted on his seat, feeling rather silly for saying what he was going to say, "I feel like I'm constantly on pins and needles since that blasted incident. I don't know much about Parkinson, but you know what they say." He gave his cousin a pointed look. Which Rose returned, saying, "And you know that most of what people say turns out to be nothing more but silly gossips." She chewed on her lip for a moment, apparently lost in thought, before asking, "So what's going to be your next step, oh, Sherlock?"

"I'll have a second helping."

"Food is not going to solve all your problems, you know that, right?"

"Of course it's not going to solve _all_ my problems. But I'm much better at solving problems if I don't have to deal with an empty stomach on top of that. _You should know that_ , Rosie."

* * *

Al didn't expect that his next close encounter with Malfoy was going to look... well, rather... not look.

"What the hell? Who's there?"

Al didn't know why he did this. Why he didn't just ignore the situation and continue on his way to the Ravenclaw Tower. But, the always too-curious-for-his-own-good Ravenclaw and the too kind Hufflepuff in the closet that he was, he just had to know.

He had to know what Malfoy was doing:

1) after the curfew

2) in one of the secret passages

3) and alone. Which was quite exceptional for him for he would almost always have Parkinson by his side. Right then, however, Miles Parkinson was nowhere to be seen.

Well, truthfully, there wasn't much to be seen at all.

So, in the face of his (damned) curiosity, Al took his Invisibility Cloak off. Which, in the little-but-still-some amount of light in the otherwise completely dark corridor, was enough for Malfoy to notice that where moments ago there was, presumably, nothing, now stood Albus Potter.

Malfoy jumped away from where he had collided with Al, letting out an almost-shriek as he stumbled and fell on the floor.

Al hissed.

"Sorry, Malfoy, it's just, er... me." He let out a tiny sigh of exasperation, offering his hand to help Malfoy to his feet, not oblivious to the fact that the situation was an outright deja vu.

"How did you– What... are you doing here?" Malfoy was staring up at him with a wild expression, or so it looked to Al in the weak light of an expiring torch.

"Going back to my bed." Malfoy's hand was cold as he finally accepted Al's help. "You okay?" Al asked, fishing for his wand and casting a quick Lumos.

Malfoy's hand flew to his eyes and he turned his head from the light abruptly. Al lowered his wand, cursing himself.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I didn't know someone knew about this passage. And..." he glanced down towards Al's hand where his Invisibility Cloak was bunched up in a grip. "Is that—" 

"Yeah, the Invisibility Cloak," Al said airily. "And, just for the record, quite a few people know about this passage. So if you... Uhm, actually, what are you doing here?" Al frowned, giving Malfoy a scrutinizing look. Now, in more light, he could see that the other boy's face was slightly reddened as were his eyes.

"Nothing." Malfoy shrugged, his voice casual, but it was obvious to Al that he was trying to hide something. "I was just going to bed, too. So... have a good night."

Al frowned and turned as Malfoy brushed past him and started walking hastily down the corridor. Curiosity growled hungrily in him and for a moment, he wanted nothing more than to ran after the other boy, catch him and demand confessions. But, it wasn't his place to ask questions.

He wished it was. He really did.

It was only normal - for a curious Ravenclaw like him. Pure curiosity. And nothing more.

But as he began walking down the corridor too, his steps unhurried, almost reluctant, Malfoy's scent invaded his nostrils unexpectedly, and the feel of his cold, slim hand in his own kept nagging at him relentlessly.

 

When he woke up the next day, Malfoy's name was the first thing that popped up in his mind.

* * *

The first brush of lips was always electrifying. Even if it wasn't always _this_. _The Kiss_. But, it was new and held a promise.

Of what, it was up to Al to discover. He loved discovering, and so every time he did that it was a new adventure. New textures, new tastes, new smells.

New names.

New bodies.

New lives... if any of those kisses was something else than just an invitation to a one-off.

He didn't mind that, because that let him explore without exploring too much. That aspect of baring his mind was always something... even frightening to him. He didn't know what could be found there.

And he didn't want someone else to find it first and use it against him.

As his hands explored new landscapes, his mind already formulating a map, scenarios of impossible possibilities, he noticed that something felt off.

The body was slim, very slim. Skinny even. The hands that wandered up and down his sides, already underneath his shirt, were cold. Gentle. Unsure.

The hairs that tickled his face with each gush of wind were soft and blond.

He opened his eyes. The pale skin was so bright it was almost glowing in the crisp, sunny day, forcing him to squint his eyes. The other boy's eyelids fluttered open moments later, eyes such a light shade of blue it nearly looked white, even as the pupils were blown out in an intense, heated gaze.

Al's breath hitched. He froze, staring wide-eyed at the blond.

"You alright? Have I... done something wrong?"

But, the voice was different.

Al inhaled deeply, shaking his head. He couldn't recognize himself in that very moment. It felt as though someone had just taken the ground from under his feet. Hands gripping the cool wooden surface behind him, Al finally found his voice.

"No. It's just been... kind of a weird day for me." He forced a smile, hoping it didn't look too much like a grimace. His face definitely felt oddly uncomfortable.

The other boy smiled back.

"I get you. We can do something else if you want–"

"No." Al shook his head again. He reached with his hands, tangling them back in the soft blond strands, guiding the other boy's face towards his own. Their lips met again. A jolt run through his body. He felt dizzy. Maybe even a little bit sick.

Not for the first time in his life, there was no curiosity accompanying it.

* * *

"What is up with Malfoy?" Al heard the question spilling from his lips on its own volition. Gaze flickering towards Rose, only to see her giving him a resigned look, Al bit his lip and looked back down at his potion.

A week had passed since that last time he had a chance to talk to Malfoy, in that dark passage, and even though he didn't want to admit that even to himself, most of his thoughts had started revolving around the blond boy since then.

And now, moments before, Malfoy had to leave the lesson, Parkinson keeping a steady hand on the small of his back as he walked with him, and Al couldn't help but be reminded of how upset Malfoy had looked that other day.

Curious voice hissing in his head, like a snake, among the buzz of whispers of the other students, the need to know what had just happened overcame him. What was wrong with Malfoy that forced him to leave in the middle of the class.

It was simply his curiosity. Al easily got curious. And Malfoy was rather quite curious – with his closeness and exclusiveness with Parkinson.

And his apparent crush on Al...

_Blasted gut-wrenching feeling._

Thank Merlin he was still able to focus on the lesson; he really needed something safe to busy his mind with now.

* * *

When he next caught Malfoy's gaze – as they were studying in the library one gloomy afternoon – something odd happened somewhere in his chest. Pale eyes bore into him and remained locked with green for a few long seconds. There was no usual turning of the head and pretending no eye-contact had been made. The pale cheeks remained colourless.

And then, Malfoy looked back down to where he was scribbling on the parchment before him, and Al reluctantly let himself be shaken.

Because he'd never seen those eyes so... fathomless. And empty at the same time.

A shiver run down his spine, his skin prickled, and he couldn't tell whether the feeling was pleasant or disturbing.

But it was decidedly... curious.

 

What has changed in the other boy? Ever since he came back from Easter Break, he became unusually vacant. Normally holding the rather soft air of shyness, now it was as though he had built a solid wall around himself.

To Al, he felt unreachable. And for the first time, he longed to be able to reach him.

 

But, it was only his curiosity. Malfoy became sort of a riddle, and Al... Al simply enjoyed solving riddles. There was no other reason why Malfoy happened to have spiked his curiosity so much.

 

And because Al's mind's recent main focus point happened to be the blond boy, it was only logical that his dreams were suddenly full of him too.

 

Al found himself shooting surreptitious glances at Malfoy for the next half an hour, but at some point, he happened to catch Parkinson's icy stare and decided that it would only help him focus on his homework if he sustained his focus on it for longer than a couple of minutes.

* * *

Never one to care about Quidditch, Al could not understand why his fellow Ravenclaws plunged into despair after their last lost game. True, it was a penultimate match of the year and true, Ravenclaws didn't look good on the statistics. They could only dream of winning the Hogwarts Quidditch Cup this year. Still, Al couldn't find it in himself to feel too empathetic for Rose – who played as a chaser – and could only hope that an awkward hug was a sufficient consolation.

At times like this, he was a riddle to himself, really, what with his supposed generous heart yet apparent disability to feel empathy towards people he couldn't understand on an emotional level.

And logic sometimes just wasn't enough.

 

Apparently, though, Slytherins were having a solid party right at the moment. Now head-to-head with Hufflepuffs, chances for the Hogwarts Quidditch Cup had grown big time for them.

 

As well as Al's chances to inch closer to solving his one main riddle, as later that day he climbed all the way to the top of the Astronomy Tower, only to find a certain someone had already taken his favourite spot.

 

The unmistakable platinum blond hair, usually arranged in an artistic mess, were now outright messed up. Apparently by Malfoy himself, Al guessed, as he must have kept running his hand through the spiked up strands constantly. A loud sigh reached Al's ears and he shook his head abruptly, trying to get rid of unwanted thoughts that exploded in his mind irrevocably.

Eyes glued to Malfoy's form, watching as he slid down the wall he'd been resting his back against to lay completely on the cold floor, Al felt his feet moving, as if someone had entered his body and took control over it. Something pulled him towards the other boy.

 

Something... Pff, of course Al knew what it was. He was just naturally curious. Nothing more.

 

"You're not celebrating with your housemates?" he asked conversationally as he approached the boy and leaned against the railing, eyes wandering over the starry sky. He wasn't sure what to expect and therefore went for a relatively neutral topic.

Malfoy turned his head towards him, a sharp intake of breath preluding the answer, "'m not a huge fan of parties."

Al frowned at his lazy tone. He shifted his gaze from where he was watching the night sky lazily, to the boy sprawled on the floor. His eyes were closed. And, as Al just noticed, his white shirt was half-way unbuttoned. The sliver of the smooth chest that the slightly opened clothing revealed drew his eyes in like a magnet.

"And," Al startled at the sudden break of the silence, "shouldn't _you_ be with yours? Or are Ravenclaws already scheming a plan on how to magically get the Cup?"

"Oi, we are not cheaters! And I'm not with them because I am socially inept, apparently," Al muttered in response.

Malfoy let out a faint chuckle.

"Of course you aren't cheaters. It was jus' a joke," he replied lightly, hand moving to comb through his hair again.

A smirk pulled at Al's lips. He felt inexplicably excited all of a sudden.

"Why are you doing this?" he asked, sitting down next to the blond.

"Doin' what?"

"This. I mean, you keep running your hand through your hair."

Pale lips curved in a soft smile, but Malfoy's eyes remained closed.

"I like how it feels. And how it gets all messy." As if to emphasize his words, he mussed his hair with both hands vehemently, leaving the strands sticking up in every possible direction.

Al smiled, drinking in the sight with a warm feeling in his chest, before heaving a sigh and leaning back against a wall to watch the sky. There was an eerie feeling in his eyes, as though they wanted to continue watching Malfoy, and suddenly, the always breathtaking view of the star-filled sky and school grounds seemed plain and boring. He had seen it countless times already throughout the last five years he'd spent at Hogwarts.

Suddenly, a new urge awoke in Al. The urge to explore new lands, new tastes, new smells... Usually, it would be a longing for some unknown, distant shores; but now, Al knew exactly where those lands were.

Right beside him. Within his reach. Within a glance. Hidden under layers of clothing. So close.

Yet so unbearably far away.

Merlin help him.

But! Wasn't Malfoy... crushing on him? Rose claimed he was. Of course the way he had been behaving for the last, what, couple of months didn't necessarily have to mean that he was attracted to Al in any way. Malfoy could have just been... weird.

Merlin only knows what was going on in that boy's head.

"You like stargazing, don't you?"

"Yeah... Quite much."

He could hear a smirk in a tiny exhale that followed.

The night was cool and quiet. Very quiet. He could almost hear every little breath of the other boy.

"I've guessed. I've seen you going here a couple of times."

"Really?" He turned to see Malfoy watching him intently. The barely contained shiver made his whole body tense up.

What the hell was up with him? He never reacted like that to anybody. It was disconcerting, to say the least.

_A new land to explore..._

"Yeah..." Malfoy licked his lips and Al thought the Universe-or-whatever was probably having lots of fun, watching him turning all mushy-girly over the Slytherin.

But the night was really quite beautiful. The cool breeze danced in Malfoy's hair, stroked the fabric of his shirt, as he lay there, looking as relaxed as Al had never seen him before, gazing into his eyes, his own shining like stars. Curious stars.

_Curious._

He looked like a question. An open question, waiting for Al to add his answer and complete the sentence.

"What do you see?" Voice soft and low, sleepy even, resounded in Al's mind. He realised, with a start, that he was staring.

"...You?" He raised his eyebrows, unsure what the question was supposed to mean. It seemed rather odd to him.

Well, nearly everything in Malfoy seemed odd to him.

Or maybe 'odd' was not a good word. Rather, interesting. Yeah, Malfoy was undoubtedly _interesting_.

"That's it? You could expand... a bit..."

Confusion marring his features, Al stared at the other boy.

"Uhm, your eyes?" Al shrugged. "Your face... Does this answer satisfy you?"

"So you're very logical. And what about emotions?"

His voice was very calm and Al spluttered, flustered.

"You mean, what I... feel?" He winced, utterly confused by Malfoy's behaviour.

The Slytherin grunted affirmatively.

Well, wasn't that curious.

Al fell silent for a moment. A very long moment.

What was he supposed to say to that? What did he feel while looking at Malfoy? Such a weird question. He didn't feel anything in particular. He just felt... 

like his mind had been emptied of words. Not exactly the nicest feeling.

"You don't know? Maybe you think too much. Don't think about it. Just feel and notice the feelings. Let them occur to you. They are probably just crushed under tons of logic in your mind. Maybe you need to," he tugged at Al's arm, gently but firmly, as if telling him to... "look closer."

"Closer?" Al's voice cracked but he didn't have the mind to notice, for he was being pulled by... some force... or maybe it was just Malfoy's hand pulling him down towards the blond.

Al could wonder, question himself. Why he didn't pull back. Why he let himself be manoeuvred so that he ended up laying on top of the other boy. Why he couldn't take his eyes off Malfoy's own.

But they were just so bright and...

And, for Merlin's sake, Al wanted to cry because they were just so stunning, like two moons or galaxies of stars, and Al knew right then that he had just been ruined for all the fucking beautiful things on the night sky, because those pale eyes were... they were...

_Oh god._

And then his lips... Al's mind just shut down for a moment. And when it returned to its full power and he realised what was actually going on – his lips were _pressing against Malfoy's lips_ – he was too far gone and lost.

Malfoy's hair was so messy but so silky under his palms, and...

and his hands were cold on his skin as they sneaked under his shirt. Al shivered, not able to contain himself. He _needed_. He _needed_ this, needed Malfoy, his lips, his hands, his fucking everything.

Al had never been so irresistibly hungry before.

Could have he stopped? He wasn't even sure what he was doing. Besides that it felt too damn good to stop. Ever. So no, he couldn't stop. He didn't want to, and–

And Malfoy chose that particular moment to arch into him with a soft moan and if Al wasn't hard already, he would have gotten hard now, just from the gorgeous sound and the feel of Malfoy's body pressing into him.

He had no idea what was going on, how they found themselves _here_ , how all the previous shyness turned into heated, hungry – it really couldn't be called any other way – _devouring_ of each other. Though Al was aware that Malfoy was considerably less aggressive than him, even if as much responsive and immersed. Just, in a more meek way.

Which, Al realised, made him even more wild. Merlin, he wasn't recognizing himself.

They were both squirming, moving against each other, hips thrusting erratically, hands reaching everywhere, seeking skin, and Al felt like he was going to literally explode from the onslaught of feelings and sensations. It seemed to be coming out of nowhere. Although maybe... it was just that finally, all his pent-up, undiscovered feelings rushed through him freely all at once.

Whatever it was, it threatened to shatter him into pieces if he wouldn't... god, he _wanted_...

"Ah, ah, Albus..." The sound was muffled, swallowed eagerly by Al, and in the next second, Malfoy's body stilled as he came, whining softly into the kiss.

"Fuck," Al gasped, clinging to the other boy and burying his face in his neck as he followed him over his own edge mere moments later.

"What have you done to me?" Al muttered with a breathy chuckle as they continued to lay there, wrapped in each other's arms like a proper couple.

"I don't know... but I would hope it's something nice," came Malfoy's dreamy voice.

Al inhaled deeply, the familiar scent filling his nostrils, leaving his already hazy mind even more fogged. He felt Malfoy everywhere. His smell, his warm skin, the steadying beat of his heart...

He smiled.

"Yeah... Very nice." But then, something occurred to him. "Only," he lifted himself up a bit to be able to see Malfoy's face. Pale blue eyes flickered opened, an expectant, if a bit apprehensive look on his face. His lips were red, a faint blush spreading across his cheeks, and his shirt was crumpled and pulled half-way off one arm, revealing a skinny frame and a pink nipple.

It was so different from the boy's usual, neat look, which made it all the more alluring.

Albus licked his lips.

"I'm not sure... Uh, alright. Let me just ask... I mean, I usually don't–but if you... I just thought... Oh, what the hell." He rubbed his face with his hands, trying to gather his scattered thoughts. "Do you want to be, you know...?" he gestured helplessly between them.

Malfoy's eyes lit up.

"I wouldn't mind. If you want to."

Al could hear hesitance in his voice.

Did he want to? He didn't know. He hadn't even given this a thought before. In fact, a mere hour ago a thought that he would ever be laying on top of Malfoy, having kissed him and gotten off with him wouldn't even cross his mind.

And he most certainly wouldn't think that it would feel _so_ incredible.

And it wasn't like it was his first time with somebody, so it was all the more incredible for him. That someone can make him feel so good.

That was so unexplainably new.

And Al rather loved that.

"Yeah." The word spilled from his lips, pulling him out of his thoughts. His gaze centred on Malfoy's face. "Yeah, I want to."

The Slytherin's lips split into a grin, and Al was once again struck by the sheer beauty of the boy.

"That's awesome. Cause I would very much like to be, you know," he mimicked Al's gesture in a half-hearted mockery. Al laughed and swatted his hand, before grabbing it and entwining their fingers. He rested his head on their joined hands and sighed, feeling so utterly, inexplicably joyous that he could hardly comprehend it.

It was an entirely new feeling for him. And he was eager to explore it.

"That was kind of abrupt, wasn't it?"

Malfoy shrugged.

"Many things are. Many good things..." he trailed off, eyes shifting towards the sky. Al watched as his eyes glazed over.

"I've never actually... been in a proper relationship before, you know? I just hope it's not too easy to mess things up."

It was meant to come out as a joke, but Malfoy's expression clouded and he bit his lip.

"You're a good person. You wouldn't hurt... anybody intentionally, would you?"

His voice was suddenly devoid of the previous airiness and Al got an impression that they were entering some unsafe waters. He frowned, watching the other boy's face closely.

"Unless they hurt my loved ones, no."

Malfoy smiled softly, ruefully, running his hands up and down Al's arms, causing unexpectant shivers to run down Al's spine.

He would probably just have to get used to the fact that his reactions to Malfoy were prone to be quite unique for him.

"That's good," the blond said simply, and Al had to restrain himself from delving deeper into the matter.

"And, er, have you ever been with someone?" he asked awkwardly, hoping that it wasn't a wrong choice.

Apparently, though, it was, because something dark flickered through Malfoy's face.

"Yeah. But it was only once and it... was a silly thing."

There was something off, Al could tell. But he chose not to ask. Not now. Perhaps some other day. Maybe tomorrow... They could talk and get to know each other better.

He really didn't know how to do these kinds of things. It was completely different from simple one-offs with random people. People who didn't know him and whom he didn't know. They were sort of a research material for him, a convenient opportunity to explore, to learn, without an emotional attachment.

He wasn't sure how he would do in an actual relationship.

But if Malfoy's behaviour was any indication, he seriously couldn't let himself mess things up.

He was sure of one thing: he did care about the other boy, he really did. He had no idea where it came from, what had caused it. He didn't even know when his feelings morphed from indifference to _this_ – whatever it actually was.

But for now, it had to be enough.

**Author's Note:**

> For now, this is it, but as there's obviously more to the plot, I do plan to write probably one more chapter where a few unanswered things will be explained.  
> Anyway, I hope you enjoyed. Feel free to share your thoughts, I would love to know what you think!


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